Set on fire, hit by cars: Michigan native details life as a Hollywood stuntman

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Matt Philliben remembers rambling about the movie stars he saw on television as a kid, telling everyone he would one day be on the screen.

Today, the Michigan man is a movie stuntman and actor working alongside Hollywood’s best. You probably won’t recognize his face and may not know his name, but Philliben’s resume includes roles in popular movies like “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “John Wick: Chapter 3” and “Batman vs. Superman.”

His training, which includes various forms of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, also enables him to walk away from being hit by a car unharmed. It’s simple, just jump and land on the windshield before rolling off to safety, he said.

Surprisingly, being set on fire is actually one of the safer stunts, he said. With fire-retardant clothes under his wardrobe and a protective jelly-like substance spread on his skin, Philliben can be completely engulfed in flames and unharmed.

Work for him also included being a body double in an Eminem music video and a lead role in the CW’s “Black Lightning” where he will play the nemesis of the superhero Black Lightning in the second season.

He worked as a security guard for Kate Winslet’s character in “Divergent." His resume also includes stunts in “Fate of the Furious,” “Venom" and “The Walking Dead."

The job of an actor and stuntman requires frequent travel. From New York to work alongside Keanu Reeves in “John Wick: Chapter 3,” to Los Angeles, New Mexico and Chicago, Philliben’s schedule is chaotic and oftentimes not planned far in advance.

“I could get a call right now and have to be in L.A. tomorrow,” he said.

Though based in Atlanta, Philliben said he spends frequent nights sleeping in hotels away from home. The Hollywood life isn’t all glamorous, he said. Oftentimes, people are working 12 to 20-hour days and frequent travel hinders time with family and makes dating difficult, he said.

“If it’s something you really want to do, you have to make sacrifices,” he said.

Despite the schedule, Philliben tries to return to the area as often as possible to visit old friends.

“Michigan is always going to be my home,” he said.

Peering out the window of the coffee shop onto 9th Street, Philliben said there has been a drastic change to Kalamazoo since his time here in the early 2000s. But the “good vibe” and friendly people are still the same, he said.

Remembering his beginnings in Detroit and Kalamazoo, the stuntman reflected on the challenges of the competitive industry. There’s lots of rejection, he said.

As for advice for current theater students, determination and drive are keys behind success, he said.

“The most important thing is to stay motivated and believe in your craft. Don’t get discouraged. Keep pursuing it no matter what.

“I always said I wanted to do this,” Philliben said. “I’m going to do this, there’s no backup.”

Being an actor means being “immortalized on camera,” he said. “I’m going to live on forever through cinema... It’s like a dream come to fruition."